Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is set to donate $100,000 to a foundation in honour of his former college teammate Adreian Payne after he was shot dead at just 31.
Payne’s tragic death stunned the NBA community in the early hours of Tuesday morning AEST, with a 29-year-old man arrested on a first-degree murder warrant.
Green, who was teammates with Payne at Michigan State University between 2010 and 2012, called on the rest of the NBA’s MSU alumni to come together to honour their late teammate.
READ MORE: Adam Reynolds’ family still privately seething at Souths over ‘biggest mistake’
READ MORE: ‘Disgusting’ Liz Cambage claim leaves Aussie basketball legend Andrew Gaze ropeable
READ MORE: Dusty Martin snub ignites fiery debate
The 32-year-old was visibly emotional when talking to the media about Payne and said he would talk in detail about his old teammate’s death on his personal podcast.
“I’m going to go home and just sit on my podcast and talk because I can pause that and cry if I need to cry,” he told reporters after the Warriors’ game four win over the Grizzlies.
“What I will say is, (Green’s wife) Hazel and I are going to donate $100,000 to a fund in Adreian’s name.
“I call on my Spartan family, coach (Tom) Izzo, Magic (Johnson), Jaren Jackson, Miles Bridges … all of my Spartan family to come in and let’s do something in honour of Adreian.
“If that’s naming something on the campus after him, if that is some scholarships for some kids from Dayton (Payne’s home town), whatever that is I call on my Spartan family to band together and do something in Adreian’s name.”
Green apologised to the media in attendance before abruptly cutting his press conference short.
“I’m going to go home and talk about Adreian … I can do it at my own speed and at my own pace,” he said.
“I apologise. I will give you guys the greatest press conference after Wednesday’s game (game five), but I just don’t have it in me tonight. I truly apologise.”
Payne played in 107 NBA games, averaging four points and three rebounds, over four seasons with Atlanta, Minnesota and Orlando. The Hawks drafted him with the No.15 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.